Continuing from
My Top Ten Singles of 2007, here are my favorite albums of the year. As always, this is entitled *My* Top Ten, the albums that I personally enjoyed the most. Another again, this list also may include 4th quarter 2006 stuff since I missed most of those releases at the time. Similarly, there weren't many 4th quarter 2007 releases that were in contention for inclusion on my list. Some I haven't listened to enough or I haven't heard at all yet (lookin' at
Mary J. Blige). There are also some albums that were released earlier in the year that I unfortunately have not spent enough time with to form a solid opinion on. R&B is my love, followed by pop. I really didn't listen to any rap this year, and I know there were some good releases in that genre, but oh well. Maybe if I get back into other genres, I'll do proper reviews for those albums at a later date. Either way, I think my list is a good reflection of what I actually listened to and enjoyed most this year. Don't expect it to match the critics or the charts, and as always, ENJOY!
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10) Deborah Cox- Destination Moon: Deborah shines brightly on this overlooked tribute album to the late, great
Dinah Washington. Although I'm not a huge fan of cover albums, Deborah's foray into jazz was a welcome surprise and departure from the same ol' R&B/dance ballads that she's best known for. I didn't expect to like this album as much as I did, but it was one that I kept coming back to. Deborah covers the classics beautifully, and always in good taste. The music is gorgeous and lush, and Deborah's voice is second-to-none. A gorgeous album with the right mix of class, brash, and soul.
My Top 3 Picks: "I Don't Hurt Anymore", "Destination Moon", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
9) Emily King- East Side Story: Admittedly, I picked this up rather late in the year, and my only regret is that I didn't pay it any attention earlier. Emily's music is rather soft-spoken, but (I learned!) that it's important to not mistake that for dull. The music and the lyrics here are truly interesting. Although the songs are classy and may put her in the dreaded neo-soul category, the album feels thoroughly contemporary. She's about 1 part hip-hop, 2 parts jazz, and 3 parts soul; and in this respect her sound reminds me a LOT of Alicia Keys, only a bit more raw, although her sometimes-throaty singing may even evoke some comparisons to Joss Stone. Either way, Emily's delivery and her lyrics are folksy; it's that interesting story-telling quality that makes me love folks like
Lyfe Jennings. It's the stuff we don't hear too much anymore: people trying to work out problems through music and talking about their own real human experiences.
My Top 3 Picks: "E Melody", "Never Be Lonely", "It Was You" (Also I think her cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" is quite brilliant.)
8) Joss Stone- Introducing Joss Stone: What on earth do people have against this album??? Obviously, I thought it was pretty damned good myself. There were some cries of "Joss sold out", but unlike some other sell-outs who shall remain nameless, I think this actually *IS* the real Joss Stone (as she is now in her young adulthood, anyway). Come on, this album has "wide-eyed flower child" written all over it. :-p I think she pulls off the 60's/70's soul-pop vibe wonderfully. Her voice sounds so raw and unleashed here, like she just went into the studio and said "To hell with restraint!" and belted her little heart out! And personally, I think it makes for a more satisfying listen than her previous albums did. This album was pretty groovy, and I haven't heard anything else like it this year. Raphael Saadiq did the production, and it's all rich, funky, old-school stuff; just the right mix of upbeat and slower numbers. No, it's not a classy album at all: Joss is all "sista-girl" colorful, bold, brass and brash here. Yet that's what makes it one heck of an enjoyable listen.
My Top 3 Picks: "Put Your Hands on Me", "Arms of My Baby", "Music"
7) Amerie- Because I Love It: Amerie really surprised with this collection of 80s-tinged pop/R&B/soul/funk/dance/electro/techno songs. Amerie's always had a little bit of artistry in her, and I feel she really let it loose on this album. All of the tracks (all written and arranged by Amerie, color me surprised) are lush with incredible horns, drums, synths, as well thickly layered vocals and harmonies. The music ranges from fun, upbeat dance numbers like "Gotta Work" to gorgeous power ballads like "All Roads". And Amerie's voice (which I often describe as "screechy") is actually a thing to marvel at. There is the screech factor, yes, but by gods, her voice has a LOT of power to it. She's yelling, she's singing, she's belting, she's crying, she's laughing! Her voice is literally a whirlwind of emotion! Amerie came hard with this release; you can tell that she put her all into it. And that's pretty much the #1 thing I ask for in any artist: be honest and pour your heart & soul into it. This was undoubtedly Amerie's labor of love, and unfortunately it looks like it will never see the light of day here in the good ol' USofA.
My Top 3 Picks: "Take Control", "Gotta Work", "When Loving U Was Easy"
6) Ciara- Ciara: The Evolution: Another album that I was surprised that I liked as much as I did. Say what you will, call me names, but I think this is one of the best R&B/pop/dance records in recent memory. I can listen to this straight through, no skipping (except those damned interludes!). The music is danceable and hip-poppish, but the rare part is that it's actually kinda quiet and
interesting (save the few obligatory 'crunk' tracks) for the most part. Yeah, you dance to this music, but still you can sit just there and listen to it and appreciate it as good music. The lyrics aren't all that great and Ciara's voice still isn't worth two dimes, but hey, she did improve! Noticeably too! I just really quite love this album. It's fun, it's sexy, it's 90s, yet it's dark and it's moody, almost atmospheric at times. One or two of the songs sound like they could have been on
Gaelle's album. No one expects that from a mainstream pop tart like Ciara, but this music is just really good.
My Top 3 Picks: "Make it Last Forever", "Get In, Fit In" (which I think is on some straight futuristic stuff, move over
Justin Timberlake!), "I Proceed"
5) Alicia Keys- As I Am: Can Alicia Keys do any wrong? Her first album is still my absolute favorite (sentimental value!), but I'll go ahead and place this one above
The Diary. This is Alicia's most daring and diverse album to date, complete with Alicia dabbling into a pop-rock sound more reminiscent of
P!nk than our piano-playing beauty here.
(Heck, I think Pink could have sung half of these songs just as wonderfully too, but that's another topic! Yet I rejoice this day where I could compare Alicia to Alecia, yay! They could make cool music together!) But of course Alicia doesn't lose her R&B/soul roots on this collection of classy, timeless tunes. Yes, there's an obvious old-school vibe going on, but Alicia brings a youthful, contemporary fire and urgency to it. Her voice is a raging ball of passion all throughout the album. Alicia reaches above and beyond with this album, and it's good to hear her pushing her own limits, both vocally and musically. Every song has its own little quirk and beauty. Even when the lyrics are, as some have put it-- "spouting platitudes", Alicia still infuses it with something all her own; some special little quirk, and it's all so wonderfully uplifting and bright-eyed, so who really even cares when it sounds so
good? Another album where I don't have to skip a track.
My Top 3 Picks: "Wreckless Love", "Sure Looks Good to Me", "Lesson Learned"
4) Amy Winehouse- Back to Black: Amy, Amy, Amy. What is there to say? :-p This album seemingly came out of nowhere, led by the single "Rehab" which had me asking "Is that
Lauryn Hill???" Of course the Lauryn comparisons drop after the third listen, and what remains is all the trashy goodness that is Amy. The first few times I listened to this album, I was just plain surprised. She sounded like some jaded 50 year-old from the doo-wop era. But no, this girl was my age, white, anorexic, and possibly crack-addicted! On some straight Motown/doo-wop/soul/60s girl-group stuff! Personal woes aside, this quickly became one of my favorite albums. the songs are straight old-fashioned, timeless, classy, and they sound like they actually were recorded in some big 60s studio. Very crisp with imaginary crackling! Amy's vocals are top-notch; her voice is one of the most unique voices I've ever heard. She's straight soul without all the effort and huffing-and-puffing that other modern-day singers often substitute for it. Her voice just has that effortless quality; you can really feel & relate to what she's singing about. Truly a fantastic album, and I sure hope she gets well. Because I NEED to grow old with a big stack of Amy Winehouse records!
My Top 3 Picks: "Tears Dry on Their Own", "Me & Mr. Jones", (tie)"Back to Black" & "Some Unholy War"
3) Keyshia Cole- Just Like You: Keyshia just kinda ends up here by default. I love Keyshia's voice so much that even an album of slightly lacking material is still better than pretty much everything else I've heard this year. :-p Not to say that I dislike the album or anything, I just feel like Keyshia is better than this. She did kinda go big, drawn-out ballad-heavy; probably because "Love" was her biggest hit on the previous album, and she figures that's what people want to hear her doing. But I think a lot of those ballads felt kinda empty; they don't feel honest. I need my Keyshia to dig a little bit deeper. Not to say that the album doesn't have it's highlights. Keyshia's voice is marvelous as always; a thing of great sadness, pain, and even greater power. Keyshia's voice moves you. And the honesty I felt was missing on some of the grand ballads like "I Remember" can actually be found in some of the more upbeat songs, ironically. I think Keyshia rocks a midtempo and a hard beat like no one else can. Often times it's not when she's actually trying to sound emotive ("Just Like You") that she conveys the most emotion. I think "Was it Worth it" is actually the deepest, richest, most honest, and most touching song here
(but you didn't saaacrifice for me!) Either way, this is my Keyshia, I loved my Keyshia the very first time I heard her, and I will always love my Keyshia. That voice is one in a million, whether she's doing it in overkill mode or laid back mode-- it's reaching you either way. Despite my not completely loving this album, it still ended up being the one I played the most this year, out of any on this list. So this spot is definitely earned!
(OT, but I so wonder what will happen when Lyfe releases Change in March... will Keyshia or Lyfe come out on the top of my charts??? Any bets? :-p )
My Top 3 Picks: "Was it Worth it", "Let it Go", "Got to Get My Heart Back"
2) Jill Scott- The Real Thing: Words & Sounds Vol. 3: Yeah. Me and Jill have a history. Not quite as complicated as the one I have with
Amel Larrieux, but there's still history. Where I essentially... not sleep
per se, but rather where I doze on and off to Jill. :-p But as I said in my Top Ten Singles entry, Lyfe Jennings changed the way I listen to music. Because honestly, I never really sat down and had patience with Jill. Not until now, anyway.
W&S3 came at the right time for me. Kinda like Lyfe, Jill Scott is a poet first & foremost, and it's that love of lyrics, the care and dedication to the way words are written and sang and heard and experienced that really makes this album golden to me. And yeah, there's a heck of a lot of sex here, but the way Jill handles it... my god. That's some damned good sex! :-p Really, the words, the lyrics, the way she wraps her voice around the lyrics and the way the music just slinks in next to it all... truly some beautiful songs here. Each and every one of them. It's sex, but it's not to be taken lightly. This is grown folks sex, not whatever *insert random poptart or random male R&B singer here* is shouting about.
My Top 3 Picks: "Come See Me" (BEAUTY!!!), "Epiphany", "Whenever You're Around"
1) Chrisette Michele- I Am: Yes, this is hands-down my favorite album of the year, by a little landslide too! Yet another that seemingly came out of nowhere and blew my mind! Chrisette is the real deal; she's thoroughly schooled in the Fine Art of SANGIN', and her voice is wonderfully rich, powerful, soulful, and undeniably unique with a wide range. Seriously, her voice is like a strange mix of
Fantasia,
Michelle Williams,
Billie Holiday, AND
Anita Baker! Her music is good old-fashioned soulful R&B, complete with a strong jazz influence, and a little hip-hop. The songs are all just stellar. She worked with so many brand-name producers (
Babyface, LA Reid,
John Legend,
will.i.am) that you wouldn't even expect something this fresh, cohesive, crisp, and CLASSIC. It's varied enough with all of the producers, yet no song feels out of place, flashy, or over-produced and brand-name. It's all just very crisp, very fresh, very exciting, very different! I love each and every one of the songs, some a little less than the others, but each song is a gem in its own right. The lyrics range from simple ("Be Ok"-- typical break-up stuff) to heart-tugging ("Your Joy"-- a beautifully uplifting dedication to her father), to classic & timeless, ("Best of Me"-- long lost love song), to self-consciously hip ("Good Girl"-- flaunting her metaphorical 'goodies'), longingly pure ("Golden"-- beautiful song about wanting love like in the olden days,
'when commitment was golden'!!! *Shock, awe, and warm feelings!!*). All of it is just wonderful and classy, even when it's not trying to be. Don't sleep on this girl. She is the real deal, a straight-up singer and her music is refreshing, pure, and GOOD. In any era other than this one, she'd be the next big thing.
My Top 3 Picks: "In This For You", "Golden", "Work it Out"
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Honorable Mentions
Janelle Monáe-
Metropolis, Suite 1: the Chase: It felt unfair putting this on my list since it really only had 3 songs. But I love all 3 songs SO much. if it had been a full-length album and all the songs were equal or close to these 3, it would have easily been my #1 album. This is truly imaginative, creative, amazing, catchy, and funky! She talks about aliens and cyborgs, yeah, but if you listen closely... she's talking about some serious socio-political stuff! I love the way she just throws out all these heavy, hard-hitting words at the end of "Many Moons". It's truly some deep stuff underneath all the fun and the upbeat catchy beat. This could totally be in the mainstream just because it's SO catchy. If we can embrace the craziness of a song like "SexyBack", we CAN embrace music like Janelle's that actually has something to think about, a message!
My Top 3 Picks: "Many Moons", "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!", "Sincerely, Jane",
duhrrr...
Tamia-
Between Friends: I think this is Tamia's strongest album yet. No one song is better than "You Put a Move on My Heart", but on the whole... I think this album is actually better than her first.
My Top 3 Picks: "Become Us", "When a Woman", "Almost"
M.I.A.-
Kala: I wasn't digging it as much as her first album, but I still thought it was good. Admittedly though, she kinda lost me on some tracks like "Birdflu" and "the Turn".
My Top 3 Picks: "Paper Planes", "Jimmy", "Mango Pickle Down River"
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My Top 10 of 2007 Album Sampler is available [url=http://www.[spam nofollow=yes]/download/602069605f6d72/]here.
Anita Baker